Olduvai Gorge + Volcanic Riddles

In the end whoever you are, however you look, you come from here. Olduvai Gorge is the home to all hominidial homos on the planet. Photograph from Wikimedia Commons. You do wan’t to click enlarge on this one.

I have said it before, some volcanoes are just overlooked. The last couple of days I have had a good reason to look at the largest active volcanic feature on the planet for reasons that I will get back to later. This feature really puts the often misused word super into good use.

Because if a supererupting supervolcano on top of a superplume doesn’t deserve it, then nothing does. Especially if the VEI-8 caldera has 8 other VEI-7 calderas inside it. South of the supervolcano you get a Maar field containing more than 60 Laachers. North of it you have Ol’Doinyo Lengai. Funnily enough this super of supers does not even have a name.

In this area the human species was born out of fire and abundance. At the same time as the volcanoes take away, they give back with the most fertile land on the planet. It is time that we return to Olduvai Gorge and Rhotia Valley to reclaim our fiery past.

Manuel is the young boy in the hood. It really deserves a name even if it will be just an ephemeral experience. Photograph courtesy of the Japanese Coast Guard.

At the same time in Japan the young little Island is still in its birthing pangs as the images show. The Japanese authorities have decided to not name the new Island until it is 2 years. The reason for that is that islands here tend to be ephemeral and there is also a chance it will grow together with the larger Nishinoshima. Personally I think that Manuel, the waiter from Faulty Towers would be worthy as a name, sometimes he is there, most often not.

Manuel next to its mother Nishinoshima. Photograph from the Japanese Coast Guard.

Riddles

Last week Sissel blasted into the lead leaving Evan Chugg in second place and Diana Barnes in the third. The Race of the Volcanic Riddles is still wide open. Two points per riddle before I append the clues, after that 1 point per riddle. This week all riddles are volcanoes.

Combine the hero and the… and you get a volcano.

1. Image + Image – Waynaputin, (Huaynaputina) in Peru. (Dorkviking, 2pt)
2. Auckland and White deer lake Hallasan (Sissel, 2pt)
3. The volcano that definitly earned its stripes – El Tigre (Matt & Harrie, 2pt each)
4. Hercules and the Etruscans, no wonder something got veneral with the this footballers volcano. Not to forget Bruno Giordano while we are playing this Fellinian Story. Verum esse ipsum factum is very true for this volcano. – Vico (Arjanemm, 1pt)
5. The only volcano to ever miss its own eruption – Late Island (Inannamoon667, 2pt)

Score board

11 Sissel 9 Evan Chugg 8 Diana Barnes 7 KarenZ 6 Harrie 6 Henrik 5 Talla 4 Granyia 4 Stephanie Alice Halford

3 Alison 3 Cryphia 3 Michael Ross 3 Sa’Ke 3 Shérine France 2 Kelda 2 Lughduniense 2 Lurking

2 Matt 2 Spica´s mate, St. Ananas 1 Arjanemm 1 Bobbi 1 Edward 1 Irpsit 1 Maggiemom

Rhyolite Stew

3 – 4 servings
1 lb. lean pork, diced and cooked
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz.) tomato paste
2 cup water
¼ cup rice
½ med shallot, chopped fine (or 1 tbsp dried shallots)
1 green onion, all of it, chopped fine
1 med carrot, sliced thin
1 rib celery, diced
½ small zucchini, sliced to preference
½ tsp. Tuscan Sunset herb mix from Penzeys Spices (a mix of 8 herbs, starting with basil and oregano)
2 tbsp. green pepper, chopped fine (or pepper of your choice)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. Lemon Pepper blend from Penzeys Spices (a mixture of finely ground lemon peel and pepper)
1 tsp. dried parsley

Mix all ingredients in pan. Simmer until rice is cooked.

Sources:

Tuscan Sunset herb mix:
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeystuscan.html

Dried shallots:
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysshallots.html

CARL (Evil Riddles) & FRAN (Magmatic Cook)